Venice Versailles

Venice to Versailles Elysium Ensemble MARCO UCCELLINI he title ‘Venice to Versailles’ evokes Venice to Versailles 8 Aria sopra la Bergamasca 4’18” the idea of a journey or the movement Elysium Ensemble Sonate, arie et correntia… (Venice, 1642) recorder, violin and guitar Tfrom one place (or state) to another. Greg Dikmans recorders and baroque flute JACQUES HOTTETERRE The works recorded here certainly present Lucinda Moon baroque violin Première Suite de pièces a deux dessus… (Paris, 1712) an intriguing musical journey through the Simon Martyn-Ellis lute, theorbo and baroque guitar flute and violin 9 [Ouverture] (gravement–gay) 3’13” diversity of Italian and French instrumental GIOVANNI BASSANO q0 Allemande (gay) 1’52” 1 Ricercata Quarta 2’51” qa Rondeau — Les Tourterelles chamber music of the sixteenth, seventeenth Ricercate, passaggi et cadentie… (Venice, 1585) (gracieusement, et un peu lent) 2’10” and eighteenth centuries: sets of variations recorder solo qw Gigue 1’35” on vocal works and ground basses, dances, 2 Susanne ung jour 4’05” ROBERT DE VISÉE sonatas and suites. On another level, the (after Roland de Lassus) Suite in A minor Motteti, madrigali et canzoni francese…diminuti theorbo solo ‘affections’ or ‘passions’ – universal states of (Venice, 1591) qd Prelude 2’05” violin and lute qf Allemande — La Royalle 3’00” the soul, such as rage, melancholy, joy or qg Courante du même 1’45” mystic exaltation – of the attentive listener 3 Frais et gaillard 3’34” qh Chaconne 1’57” (after Clemens non Papa) will be moved. Motteti, madrigali et canzoni francese…diminuti JACQUES HOTTETERRE (Venice, 1591) Troisième Suite Venice and Versailles were two of the most recorder and lute Pièces pour la flûte-traversière… (Paris, 1708) flute and theorbo important centres for the arts in Europe GIOVANNI GIROLAMO KAPSBERGER qj Allemande — La cascade de St. Cloud (piqué) 2’36” 4 Toccata No. 3 2’14” qk Sarabande — La Guimon 2’45” during the Baroque period. They represent Libro primo d’intavolatura di chitarone (Venice, 1604) ql Courante — L’indiferente (légèrement) 2’28” the two dominant and contrasting styles of theorbo solo w0 Rondeau — Le plaintif (tendrement) 2’36” * wa Menuet — Le mignon music: Venice, the robust, joyous exuberance DARIO CASTELLO (un peu doucement) 0’58” and barocco (‘wild’ or ‘grotesque’) character of 5 Sonata Prima à sopran solo 5’04” ws Gigue — L’Italienne 1’19” * Sonate Concertate… (Venice, 1629 the Italian style, and Versailles, the refinement, violin and theorbo also on special video (see page 12) * delicacy, elegance and douceur (‘sweetness’) of GIOVANNI PAOLO CIMA FRANÇOIS COUPERIN the French. 6 Sonata à 3 3’32” wd Muséte de Choisi 6’06” Concerti ecclesiastici… (Milan, 1610) Première partie (tendrement) — Seconde partie (mineur) recorder, violin and theorbo Muséte de Taverni: www.elysiumensemble.com Première partie (légèrement) — Seconde partie (mineur) DIEGO ORTIZ Troisième livre de pièces de clavecin (Paris, 1722) 7 Recercada Ottava — Recercada Segunda 3’59” flute, violin and theorbo Trattado de glosas… (Rome, 1553) P 2002 Move Records, Australia recorders, violin and guitar Audio running time 67’16” move.com.au his title evokes the idea of a journey and feelings with the utmost vividness. From or the movement from one place (or Monteverdi to Bach, they sought new musical “Music … Tstate) to another. The works recorded means for the expression of the ‘affections’ or here certainly present an intriguing musical ‘passions’, and to intensify these musical effects is made particularly and principally journey through the diversity of instrumental by means of (sometimes violent) contrasts. to charm the spirit and the ear, and chamber music of the sixteenth, seventeenth and to enable us to pass our lives with eighteenth centuries from Italy and France: sets Music, Oratory and a little sweetness amidst all the of variations on vocal works and ground basses, dances, sonatas and suites. On another level, bitterness that we encounter there.” The Affections the ‘affections’ or ‘passions’—universal states of Marin Mersenne, Harmonie the soul, such as rage, melancholy, joy or mystic universelle (1636). n assumption that was prevalent in the exaltation—of the attentive listener will also be seventeenth and eighteenth centuries moved. The conscious desire to transport the was that the ancient Greeks were correct “The basis of music is sound; its aim listener from one state of the soul to another is, A in their belief that music plays a fundamental is to please and to arouse various in fact, the one common characteristic of the role in society because of its power to have emotions in us.” many different styles and types of music written a direct effect upon the soul and actions of René Descartes, Compendium Musicæ during the Baroque period. mankind. This presupposes that music possesses (1618 / published 1656). Venice and Versailles were two of the a content beyond its purely musical syntax and most important centres for the Arts in Europe structure, and that that content is describable “In the human heart new passions are during the Baroque period. They represent in emotive terms. This is itself based on the for ever being born; the overthrow of the two dominant and contrasting styles of view, first discussed by Plato and Aristotle, that music: Venice, the robust, joyous exuberance one almost always means the rise of music ‘imitates’ or ‘represents’ the characters and and barocco (‘wild’ or ‘grotesque’) character of another.” passionate tones of men with the aim of arousing the Italian style, and Versailles, the refinement, such passions in the listener. Seventeenth- and Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Réflexions delicacy, elegance and douceur (‘sweetness’) of ou sentences et maximes morales eighteenth-century musicians also saw many the French. parallels between the Greek and Roman art (Paris, 1665). The cover photograph depicts these ideas of rhetoric (oratory) and music. According to wonderfully. In it we see the parquet floor of ancient writers, such as Aristotle, Cicero and “[The aim of the composer should Louis XIV’s sitting room at Versailles, with its Quintilian, orators employed rhetorical means be] to express the conceptions of the precise yet classically cool and well proportioned to control and direct the emotions of their mind and…to impress them with the design, bathed in the warm glow of autumn audiences and so persuade and move them. greatest possible effectiveness on the sunlight (I like to think of it as a Mediterranean It is not surprising to find Marin Mersenne minds of the listeners.” sun). The photograph is also a beautiful study in Harmonie universelle (1636) describing Vincenzo Galileo, Dialogo della of darkness and light. The dramatic contrast of musicians as ‘harmonic orators’. light and shade (chiaroscuro) was a technique musica antica e della moderna (1581). When writing about music and its used by Baroque painters to express emotion. performance, musicians of the early-seventeenth Baroque composers also sought to express, century in Italy, for example, often used or rather, represent, a wide range of ideas the word affetto. It was used to refer to the their own particular style. These treatises consist states of the soul and also to the particular mainly of musical examples: lists of passaggi on expressive devices employed in composition and the intervals of the scale and cadential formulas “Musical execution performance to arouse those states. The vocal (cadentie), as well as examples of complete pieces may be compared with the delivery of embellishments (trillo, gruppo, esclamazione etc.) to show how these ideas could be applied in an orator. The orator and the musician that Guilio Caccini discusses in his Le Nuove practice (tracks 1, 2, 3). have, at bottom, the same aim in regard Musiche (‘the new music’), published in 1601, The instrumental music of the early to both the preparation and the final are termed affetti; and Biagio Marini titled his Baroque continued the development of these execution of their productions, namely first book of instrumental music, published techniques and practices. Dance music and to make themselves masters of the hearts in Venice in 1617, Affetti musicali (‘musical the freer, more instrumentally idiomatic of their listeners, to arouse or still their affections’). forms like the toccata (4), ricercata (1) and passions, and to transport them now to Apart from embellishments, the affetti prelude continued to be written. The most this sentiment, now to that.” musicali included ornamental passage-work important instrumental forms, however, were Johann Joachim Quantz, Versuch einer or divisions (passaggi), expressive intervals those originally derived from vocal models: the Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen and dissonances, and startling or unexpected canzona, sonata (tracks 5 and 6) and sinfonia. (Berlin, 1752). harmonies and chord progressions. Performers of In these forms the imitative techniques of the this early Baroque repertoire were also expected polyphonic chanson, madrigal and motet were “Men of purblind Understandings, to match their tempos (including radical combined with the improvisation practices of and half Ideas may perhaps ask, fluctuations), phrasing and articulation to the the late sixteenth-century instrumental virtuosos, is it possible to give Meaning and ‘affect’ of the piece or section of a piece. such as Giovanni Bassano (tracks 2 and 3). Expression to Wood and Wire; or to The terms canzona and sonata are bestow upon them the Power of raising derived from canzona per sonar (literally ‘song and soothing the Passions of rational Instrumental Music in Italy to be sounded’ or ‘played’) and initially did not Beings? But whenever I hear such a indicate two distinct forms. They were used to Question put, whether for the Sake of uring the late-sixteenth century describe instrumental works that were either Information, or to convey Ridicule, I in Italy, the practice of playing direct intabulations (notated in lute tablature) shall make no Difficulty to answer in diminutions or passaggi on existing D of French chansons (‘songs’) or more loosely the affirmative…Experience has shewn vocal works was considered an integral part of based on them.

Load more